Saturday, November 21, 2009

>>>The Consumerist is reporting the AppleCare experiences of several customers, who are smokers, where Apple has refused to service their Macs due to the “health risks of second hand smoke,” because the computers had become “contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard.”

Dis is BS at its finest If anyone believes cig smoke can cause harm to a computer, then this nation believes antis too seriously. If someone said cig smoke can harm a cell phone, would a nonsmoker believe sh!t like dat too?

Need another reason to quit smoking? This one’s a whopper—Apple is refusing to honor the warranties of Mac owners because the devices have become “contaminated” due to the effects of cigarette smoke.

The Consumerist is reporting the AppleCare experiences of several customers, who are smokers, where Apple has refused to service their Macs due to the “health risks of second hand smoke,” because the computers had become “contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard.”

The really interesting bit is that the users appealed to Steve Jobs who said that company would honor AppleCare technicians decisions not to work on computers that had become tainted with nicotine, which “is on OSHA’s list of hazardous substances.”

If that’s the reason, then what of the known toxins (.pdf)—lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and PBB and PBDE brominated flame retardants (BFRs)—that can be found inside Apple products?

When emotion takes over

The really twisted bit here is that Apple’s warranty contains no references to tobacco. Moreover, if Apple does have a policy of not honoring the warranty on Macs used by smokers, then the company should publicly say as much.

Although smoking certainly isn’t healthy and a dirty habit, it seems patently absurd that the Macs had become toxic. These are hysterical, emotion driven reactions by Apple and surprisingly Jobs himself.

At the very least, these people should either have their Macs repaired or money refunded…

"The Hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who,in time of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."- Dante, "The Inferno"

Tobacco Retailers Challenge News Reports on Roll-Your-Own, Pipe Tobaccos. The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association came out swinging today by challenging news reports regarding the labeling switch of some roll-your-own tobacco brands to pipe tobacco by their manufacturers and claims that pipe tobaccos, which have been flavored for more than five centuries, are designed to appeal to minors. "The anti-smoking forces once again are getting their underwear in a twist by reaching for straws in their attempts to besmirch our mom-and-pop members," said Gary Pesh, president of the IPCPR. Pesh also is owner of a chain of retail tobacco stores in Virginia. "We the retailers didn’t make the marketing switch and we never market to or sell any kind of tobacco products to children."

American Cancer Society Lying to Public While Playing Politics; Does the Truth No Longer Matter? By Michael Siegel. It is also not true that the tobacco companies have long used the flavors banned by this legislation to lure kids to start smoking. There was one episode in which R.J. Reynolds introduced a few candy-flavored cigarette varieties but these were removed from the market. Other than that, the only flavor that has long been used by tobacco companies to lure kids to smoking is menthol. An that's not covered by the ban. So the American Cancer Society is full of crap when they assert that the cigarette flavors they seek to ban have long been used to lure children to start smoking.

The puritanical agenda behind the crusade against smoking. By Basham and Luik. Preventing people from smoking in public was never about real health risks - that is, it was never about protecting non-smokers so much as it was about stigmatising smoking and smokers and making it difficult for them to smoke. So with the science of second-hand smoke now never discussed, the anti-tobacco movement feels confident in moving the argument forward and revealing the starkness of its real agenda.

From The Mailbag

IA: West Burlington bar owner Duncan ready for day in court.KY: Crestview Hills urging Boone, Kenton and Campbell County fiscal courts to adopt regional legislation prohibiting indoor smoking in public buildings.MS: Senatobia Aldermen say NO, extinguish smoking ban in city.OH: A group of Ohio hospitality industry business owners and concerned citizens met last Friday to discuss allegations of election fraud surrounding the SmokeFree Ohio Petition Initiative in 2006.SC: Florence City Council says NO, votes down proposed ban.SC: Greenwood’s ban being ignored in bars. Antis not happy.SC: Richland County, Bingo fight lights up over smoking ban, Two competitors sue each other. County has issued no tickets.USA: Shoot the fat guys, hang the smokers. By Joe Bageant.USA: United States Marine Corps 234th Birthday Tribute.Beware the Adverse Effects of Cigarette Taxes on Kids: Study Suggests Anti-Smoking Groups Should Re-Think Their Knee-Jerk Support for Tax Increases.UK: If you own a pub in the UK, join the Pub Revolution.UK: NHS Trust Removes Latest Anti-smoking Propaganda.

Friday, November 20, 2009

It's a joke if Big Daddy thinks dis bill will put an end to youth smoking. Some of dose politicans need to visit a town like mine more often. It's normal to see a kid smoking cigs for me. Neva mind kids who do drugs and drink.

I rememba the smoking ban in itself was supposed to stop youth smoking in dis town as well as the whole state of IL. When a teen girl asks me for a cig, a light, or both, I can only laugh at the idea of fewer kids smoking in my area alone afta a almost 4 year old smoking ban for the Chicago area!

(To me, I've been living under a smoking ban since 2006. The state ban is juz like the city ban. Cept the IL state ban includes no smoking in taverns/clubs.)

I'm sure most kids and teens neva heard of buying cigs online around here. So I guess most of em wouldn't care if a bill passed. There are quicka ways for a kid to get cigs without depending on the USPS. And I mean ways dat go beyond stealing cigs from their parents/siblings/friends. LOL!!

Bootleggas who depend on buying cigs online is a different story. Although dey got an alternative way to get cartons without necessarily buying em offline.

If passed, the bill would prevent illegal untaxed cigarette trafficking and access to tobacco products by youth by prohibiting online and mail-order sales of tobacco. If the bill is signed into law, its regulations would go into effect 90 days following the enactment by the president, according to the version passed yesterday by the committee.

The PACT Act was passed in the House in May.

The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco -- a group made up of several trade associations, public officials and a unit of a major tobacco company, among others -- gathered on Capitol Hill earlier this week to urge the committee to pass the legislation.

Some trade association members of the Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco include NACS, AWMA, FMI, NATO, NATSO, PMAA and SIGMA. Altria Client Services, a division of Altria Group, is also a member of the coalition on behalf of Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.

"At the very time when states have undertaken extraordinary efforts to restrict minors' access to cigarettes and continue to increase cigarette excise taxes, the Internet still offers minors a virtually risk-free and attractively priced means to easily obtain them," Hank Armour, president and CEO of NACS, said in a statement ahead of the committee's passage. "The PACT Act addresses long-standing concerns that law-abiding neighborhood convenience stores have with respect to tax evasion and underage sales."

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I ain't copying someone else's messages from the forum on here. I still know about respecting othas' writing unless I'm given permission from the person to share it on the net. Although I'm actually the cigreviews forum moderator with the most powers on dere.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of Ohio hospitality industrybusiness owners and concerned citizens met last Friday to discuss allegations ofelection fraud surrounding the SmokeFree Ohio Petition Initiative in 2006.According to an audit conducted since June, 2009 (via public records requests),Opponents of Ohio Bans has discovered multiple violations of elections laws,each of which carries penalties ranging from misdemeanors to felonies, and theblatant disregard of a court order. Glancing through over 9,700 petitions, onlyobvious violations were noted. OoOB was assured by a representative of theSecretary of State that we have "everything" relating to the 2006 SmokeFree OhioPetition Initiative petitions. OoOB alleges the following election lawviolations:

Inconsistent application of the laws by Boards of Elections

Improper validation of signatures by Boards of Elections

Part-petitions that should have been invalidated

At least 47 convicted felons hired as petition circulators and/or supervisors(who completed Form 15s) - part petitions should have been invalidated

This is perhaps the most frightening part of our investigation. Felons who hadbeen convicted of rape or who were listed on the Ohio Sexual Offender websitesupervised and/or collected a staggering 1,236 signatures. Whose mother ordaughter unknowingly gave a rapist or sexual offender their address? Nowincarcerated, one such petition circulator, with a previous felony convictionfor gross sexual imposition, went to court last month for the rape of a childunder the age of 13. He pled to a lesser charge. Five hundred fifty-one peoplegave their signatures to people who were convicted of forgery-their signatures!Circulators and supervisors also had felony convictions for drug trafficking,grand theft/theft, aggravated arson, burglary, breaking and entering, weapons,kidnapping, etc. Who let this happen?

Paid circulators provided FALSE ADDRESSES

The law required the circulators to provide their permanent address, not a motel(ORC 3501.48(E)(1) . One circulator who travels state to state for the lucrativepetition industry, listed 11645 Chesterdale Rd., Springdale, Ohio as hisaddress. The Form 15 he filed listed a Florida address. The State of Ohio had acopy of the Form 15 and his petitions with conflicting addresses, yet allowedthe petitions to be validated. Another circulator also listed the ChesterdaleRoad address as her residence, as did circulator employer Ron Lovell. The over7,200 signatures Lovell paid for listed the Chesterdale Road address as Lovell'sbusiness address. That address is the Extended Stay Motel in Springdale.

Form 15s not filed, not timely filed or filed under a different name thanprovided on circulator statement

Violating 3501.381 ORC invalidates all related part petitions and is amisdemeanor. At least five petition employers filed Form 15s with the Secretaryof State either after signatures were collected by their employees, filed noForm 15 at all, or filed under a different company name than was listed on thecirculator statement, as evidenced by the copies provided by the SOS. Theemployees of these five employers submitted over 29,000 signatures.

Memo from one Board of Elections to the SOS Office asking what to do with apetition with the sole signature dated days prior to the issuance of thepetition. The reply from the SOS Office was, "If this for the Smoke Freepetition-this does not invalidate an otherwise valid signature". What if itwasn't a SmokeFree Ohio petition?

Expenditures for payments to petition companies not reported as such on theSecretary of State's website as an expenditure for SmokeFree Ohio, as requiredby law.

Judge David Cain court order ignored (In re Protest of Evans Against InitiativePetition Proposing Smoke Free Workplace Act, 2006-Ohio-4690) May 4, 2006,Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Cain (In re Protest of Evans AgainstPetition Proposing Smoke Free Workplace Act, 2006-Ohio-4690) ordered a "completelist of the circulators not employed by ACS but who listed ACS as theiremployer". Exhibit A contained circulators from 28 counties, invalidatingbetween 43,403-44,664 signatures. However, of Ohio's 88 counties, 77 countieshad circulators who listed the ACS as their employer, not 28 counties. Wereceived incomplete copies of some petitions from the first supplemental,therefore we could only verify that at least an additional 3,470 signaturesshould have been invalidated. Why were 49 counties left off the list? Thosesignatures alone would have kept Issue 5 off the ballot.

September 28, 2006 SOS received 2nd supplement of petitions from SFO; SOS toldCounty Boards of Elections they had 2+ business days to check signatures againstvoting records, check data base for duplicates & properly tally the numbers

October 5, 2006, SOS declared SFO had enough signatures

Note that Issue 5 was place on the ballot 20 days before the petitions werereceived and nearly a month before the SOS declared enough signatures.

Had any one of these voting laws or even the court order been adhered to, theSmokeFree Workplace Act would not have been on the ballot in 2006. OoOB contendsthe State of Ohio was aware they did not have enough signatures. They pulledIssue 1 off the ballots after it was certified the same election year. Theyshould have Issue 5 as well. "Clearly, the law is for sale in Ohio," stated BillBrown, OoOB.

It is the duty of the Secretary of State to certify the sufficiency of thepetitions and investigate the administration of election laws, frauds.. (ORC3501.05). This ballot issue wreaks of violations of numerous laws. The BOEemployees did not do their jobs. The Secretary of State did not do his job.Someone needs to enforce the laws and pursue convictions. The lucrative industryof non-grassroots, bussed in petition companies must stop. Background checksmust be done on all circulators and they must carry state-issued clearance photoID. Circulators should not be able to collect signatures for competing issues,as LIN-V-CO did in 2006.

The people demand honesty and integrity in the electoral process; we had neitherwith Issue 5. The laws governing the petition initiative process are in place;they're just not enforced.

A representative of ACS said this is just another desperate attempt to overturna voter approved ban. Voters never should have been able to vote for Issue 5 hadanyone done their job. "You bet we're desperate... desperate to be able to feedour families and not lose everything we've invested in our businesses," said PamParker, OoOB. Secretary of State Brunner said there's no precedent to invalidatea law passed by voters. "Sure there is. It's called the Ohio Revised Code. TheState of Ohio allowed this to happen. Amend the Ohio Revised Code to allow theexemptions for family owned businesses, private clubs and outdoor patios thepeople voted for, which were removed after the vote. Fix it before any moredoors close!" said Linda Hubbard, OoOB.

Here's a copy of my sig I juz posted on the petition for the record. I indented it for easier reading on here.

******************Dis bill might make cig/tobacco heists offline go up even more. I mean when you think about it, if someone can't buy cig cartons online, dat person has only 2 options in order to keep living as a smoker. Eitha pay LOTS MORE just for one carton offline, or simply look into going the route of stealing cigs in stores/gas stations.

A person also has the option of buying packs from cig dealers in the streets in my town if you smoke Newport 100s particularly. A person could also drive outta his/her home state to "save" on cigs. But if smokers still had the option to buy cigs online, dey could save time and money on gasoline by not driving outta state.

I've been buying cartons online for 10 years. I know how much money I saved on buying cartons as well as the money I saved on not traveling to buy cigs offline. Did I mention I'm gonna miss smoking the cheapa brands dat I can't buy anywhere offline? Brands like Kick and Seneca? Who the fock wants to go back to paying 60-100 bucks for a carton when he/she is used to paying only 15-25 bucks for a carton cheapa cig brand over the years?

Antis argue buying cigs online is tax evasion. Tax evasion my butt. It's more like me saving money instead of giving into pressure from "Big Daddy" to quit smoking juz cuz of high offline cig prices. I'll decide for myself if I ever want to quit, thank you. Don't force me to quit by taking away my right to buy my cartons online! I'll do wha it takes to get cigs offline if I have to. And don't think I'm playing (joking) on more smokers stealing packs and cartons offline.

Cig heists actually went up back in April, when Obama's tobacco tax hike went into effect. Don't get me started on dat liar for a President! And BTW, I'm a REAL Black person. Obama is a fake bro, and I'd make a betta Black President than him!

Someone attempted to post dis petition as a comment on here. But site addresses don't automatically turn into clickable links in the comments area. I might as well post dis as a seperate message.

As far as convincing a Senator who already made up his mind, your best bet is to try to call otha Senators who you haven't called yet. Of course, dat's easier said than done when time is short. Just cuz a Senator ain't in your home state doesn't mean you still can't contact him.CLICK HERE on how to contact all of the otha U.S. Senators.

(I know I actually posted dis info already in a previous post on the Leahy Senator. But I received dis email today which includes a toll free numba you can call to reach him.)

****************************************
Thank you to all of you who have already contacted the two senators from Kentucky, they are starting to hear your voice! There is one more senator that we feel it is important that you contact.

Senator Patrick Leahy is the chairperson of the committee voting on the PACT Act of 2009, S. 1147. As such, he could cast the deciding vote.

Please call Senator Patrick Leahy's office both today and tomorrow and state the following:

"S. 1147 is a gift to Philip Moms, please vote no on S. 1147."

The direct number is 202-224-4242 or toll-free 800-828-0498 and ask for his office.

Philip Morris is counting on you to do nothing! Philip Morris fought for this legislation to eliminate your access to independent brands and to force you to pay more for their brands through conventional retailers.

With millions of voices, we must get the truth to Senator Leahy. He is a man of integrity, but cannot hear your voice unless YOU call.

Make the call right now and leave yourself a reminder to call again early tomorrow

Once again, the direct number is 202-224-4242 or toll-free 800-828-0498 and ask for his office.

I'm sure bootleggas DO buy cartons online. But my common sense tells me criminals can get cigs fasta by pulling off a heist offline at 3 am. LOL!!

Innocent people buy cigs online too. And those innocent people are the real losers if the PACT Act. "Criminals" my black arse! If I was an actual felon, why would I need to look to the net to get cartons? I can get lots of cartons offline in only a matta of hours with good planning on my part!

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire- USNewswire/ -- Representatives of law enforcement groups, public health organizations and trade associations today gathered on Capitol Hill to urge the Senate to pass S. 1147, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (PACT Act). This legislation will help combat online cigarette sales that have robbed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the states and that undermine state laws that prevent youth access to tobacco products. This bill closes gaps in current federal laws regulating "remote" or "delivery" sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

These organizations were joined by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), advocates of combating illegal cigarette sales. Numerous stakeholders have worked with Sen. Kohl through the years to pass the PACT Act, which was passed in the House of Representativesthis May.

"The PACT Act will strengthen our tobacco laws to ensure that law enforcement has the tools they need to investigate and prosecute cigarette traffickers, said Sen. Kohl. "Each day we delay its passage, terrorists and criminals raise more money, states lose significant amounts of tax revenue, and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the internet."

"We must crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco, which gives terrorists and criminals the ability to raise more money," said Rep. Weiner. "Every day we delay is another day that states lose significant amounts of tax revenue and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the Internet. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass the bipartisan PACT Act."

Organizations represented at the press conference included the National Association of Convenience Stores, American Wholesale Marketers Association, National Black Police Association Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and American Legislative Exchange Council.

"At the very time when states have undertaken extraordinary efforts to restrict minors' access to cigarettes and continue to increase cigarette excise taxes, the Internet still offers minors a virtually risk-free and attractively priced means to easily obtain them," said Henry Armour, president and CEO, National Association of Convenience Stores. "The PACT Act addresses long-standing concerns that law-abiding neighborhood convenience stores have with respect to tax evasion and underage sales."

The American Wholesale Marketers Association also released its latest findings from a study it conducted examining the prevalence of illegal Internet cigarette sales and the cost to the country. In the study AWMA found the cost to states in illegal cigarette sales could be upwards of $5 billion per year, and that with online sales there is almost no age verification at the time of purchase.

"The results of this updated study stunned us and the problem of illegal sales of cigarettes has gotten worse," said Scott Ramminger, AWMA president and CEO. "This study is a clear indication that the PACT Act must be passed immediately so we can effectively combat illegal Internet sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products."

The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco is a group of individuals, associations, businesses and other organizations that share the goal of enacting legislation that will eliminate underage access to tobacco on the Internet, curtail associated illegal activities and capture lost state excise tax revenues.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

(Dis is an actual email I can share on my blog on the delayed vote on the PACT Act.)

*****************************************************

*** Please Act Before Thursday ***

Once again we are asking you to help defeat the PACT Act of 2009, S. 1147.The vote was delayed and will now occur on November 19th.While we want you to please feel free to contact your state senators once again, we especially want you to contact the Kentucky state senators as they may cast the deciding votes.The contact information for these senators is as follows:

If you prefer to make a toll-free call, you can reach these senators by calling the switchboard, 800-828-0498, and asking for their office.

As senators, these men represent not only their home state, but also the entire United States and as such, you are a member of their constituency. When contacting them, let them know that you are a constituent and be polite but firm in asking that they vote against S. 1147.

If you want to mail or email the senators, the following link provides a form letter that you can copy-n-paste:

Note for Allan: I deleted the double post you left as a comment on my post right below dis one. Yeah, I still have moderation turned on for comments on here. If antis wanna bash smokers who have no desire to quit smoking, dey can attack the smokers at Topix instead.

I believe someone can still leave posts as anonymous on here. But I still gotta approve their comments before anyone can read em.

I did hear dat Senator is getting LOTS of calls. He even said a lotta of the otha Senators are getting several calls too. Lots of calls is good news in itself!

It's funny I can buy movies, games, and even TVs online. But Big Daddy wants to make it illegal to buy cig cartons online. Buying cartons online saves me time and money! I hope a certain friend of mine will be able to experience buying cartons online before it's too late so to speak.

Monday, November 16, 2009

I neva said much about electronic cigs (e-cigs) on here. Well, I dunno why so many smokers like the e-cigs. Dose cigs ain't the real deal when it comes to smoking. When I smoke, I wanna feel minty smoke in me. I wanna SEE minty smoke on my exhales. I wanna taste mint-flava'd tobacco too on my drags.

E-cigs is for a smoker who smokes just for the nicotine. But even with me as a smoker with an urban side to my personality, I know darn well dere's more to smoking than just getting the nic. No offense to e-cig smokers. But me ain't gonna get the same feeling and pleasure from smoking an e-cig vs. smoking a normal cig.

Enjoy your fake cigs while dey legal in the USA. Whatcha gonna do if/when e-cigs get banned? I hope grow your own tobacco so you can enjoy smoking real sh!t. At least growing your own tobacco is betta than smoking e-cigs and FSCs,

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Dis vid may be related with Ohio. I actually watched most of dis vid. But when I heard about felons collecting sigs for a judge and threats dat likely came from the antismoking side, I agree the Ohio ban should be repealed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w7brBXuZKw

The fact felons were collecting sigs for petitions is illegal in itself. I wonder if dose felons got paid for collecting sigs. Cuz I can't imagine any street person collecting sigs for a petition on antismokers' behalf. Unless you show him/her a briefcase with money in it. (Not a briefcase literally. But I know felons don't do voluntary work without getting moolah from someone.)

According to my understanding, the Ohioans voted for their state smoking ban. So I guess dis vid is evidence of voter fraud dat went on in O-he!!o as some smokers call it.